I haven't ridden a Susie, but do have an Appaloosa. If you're primarily commuting and also doing a little bit of trail stuff, the Appa is built for you. A perfect commuter, great for loaded touring, and I've only done light local trails with mine so far, which it's great on with Billie bars, but it has ample tire clearance that with knobbies and the right bars it would be great for rougher trails. Even on pavement, with hands forward of the brake levers it feels like a road bike. Truly an all-rounder.
On Thursday, February 8, 2024 at 1:35:07 AM UTC-5 Luke Hendrickson wrote: > I have the MIT Atlantis which is pretty close to the Appa in terms of geo, > etc. I mostly commute as well and the Atlantis is supremely comfy (the > Bullmoose bars, 2.25” tires, and leather saddle sure help). I hit some > mountain bike trails nearby in Marin and it descends confidently and climbs > securely. It’s better on not so tight singletrack (as is the case with all > of the long chanstay Rivs). > > I commute from San Francisco to South San Francisco every workday with a > load in the front basket and I also use my bike for shopping and all > errands, at times helped by a B.O.B. trailer. The Atlantis is just … a > great all-rounder. I would imagine that the Appa will be that for you. > Perfunctory low-res image attached :) > > On Wednesday, February 7, 2024 at 10:12:18 PM UTC-8 Ed Carolipio wrote: > >> I think you could make either work for what you want to do and would be a >> pleasure to own. That said, I would opt for the Susie because of its >> uniqueness. I can't think of an off-the-shelf frame that offers the >> combination of design elements that the Susie does using lugs and fillet >> brazing, and I expect it will always be tough to find one in the used >> market. >> >> Ed C. >> Redondo Beach, CA >> On Wednesday, February 7, 2024 at 6:42:55 PM UTC-8 Bill Lindsay wrote: >> >>> They are different bikes, so the only smart move is one of each. >>> >>> BL in EC >>> >>> On Wednesday, February 7, 2024 at 1:23:50 PM UTC-8 BrianT wrote: >>> >>>> Hey Everyone. I'm seriously torn between a lugged Susie and an >>>> Appaloosa later this year. Help me commit! >>>> >>>> I commute and run errands (no question that's most of my mileage), but >>>> fun rides are always in seek of trails with pavement as needed: day rides >>>> plus occasional camping. I think each bike is overkill in a different way. >>>> The Appaloosa is capable of longer distances and heavier loads, which >>>> would >>>> be pretty rare for me. The bigger tires on the Susie would open up more >>>> technical singletrack, which would be similarly rare. >>>> >>>> What to do? I like the idea of the Appaloosa's more traditional look, >>>> but I like the Susie's higher handlebars and increased crotch clearance. >>>> I'm likely to want fenders, so I may end up not using the Susie's tire >>>> clearance to full advantage (sidebar: what's the biggest tire that will >>>> really fit under a B65? B69? Anyone know of another decent-looking jumbo >>>> fender?). >>>> >>>> All opinions welcome, with special thanks to anyone who's ridden or >>>> owned both. >>>> >>> -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/0b6ec82a-ec6a-4985-be15-dbfa10d14a7an%40googlegroups.com.
